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I love the way the Internet connects us with the world. Here's an email I received last night:

I know your busy but is there any chance you could tell me who the CEO of ADT in Boca Raton HQ is? Even better would be an email address. They are messing up my house alarm in France (yes France) and I can't find who is in charge of their International operations. No one in France cares. Many thanks if you can help. Regards. Guy Laurence

I told him to call John Koch, but I didn't give him his email (partly because I was too lazy to look it up - I think we have it somewhere - but partly just because it didn't seem quite fair to John).
I'm very sorry to hear that no one in France cares. I've always found the French to be very caring people.

Sorry to be late on the uptake here, but I just heard that Rudy Prokupets, founder of Lenel, died of a heart attack, June 16.
I never met Rudy personally, but I've been told that he was a character and a generous man, and Lenel was obviously a major innovator in the security industry.
I'm also impressed by this quote from the Times: "Mr. Prokupets, a lifelong lover of opera, was recognized for his generosity with a plaque at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, of which his wife is a current board member."
I love it when technology guys can appreciate the arts as well. That shows a well-rounded intellect.

Just read this story from MinneapolisCBS affiliate WCCO about some rather questionable sales tactics allegedly carried out by an ADT salesperson. ADT has said it does not condone the salesperson's actions. Well, I should hope not.
It's a shame that people can't rely on actual events and the truth to make the sale.
According to many, the current economic climate should give plenty of fodder for people to come to the conclusion they need to better protect their lives and their property.

Hopefully everyone had a sunnier week's vacation than I had last week, or at least didn't work very hard and generally slacked off in anticipation of the Fourth of July, the hands-down best holiday of the year.
Unfortunately, our local fireworks display was cancelled because it's been so rainy that the farmer who puts on the display couldn't hay his field and thus couldn't charge people $5 a whack to park on the field. So they're doing the Fourth of July on July 25 in Industry, Maine.
Which is kind of par for the course for Industry, Maine. The only store there is called the Ugly Moose.
Anyway, you don't care about any of that. You want to know what the good news is. Well, the good news is that our Web site is now 100 percent open for viewing - no longer is a registration required, with the entering of the stupid subscription number, etc.
You can search. You can look at back issues. You can look at the current content in the different industry sections. It's a brand-new world.
And, yes, of course it's only temporary. We're working to figure out what's most important about the site, what you'll find most valuable, and then we'll lock it behind a gate and make you (maybe) pay for it. Or not. We're still kind of not sure about what exactly we're going to do. But be sure that all of this content goodness will not be freely available forever.
But the good news remains. Logging in is no longer a pain in the butt. Yay for us.

Finally have a few minutes to post some photos that I took at the bell-ringing event at the NYSE. I took them with my iPhone, so the quality may not be totally up to snuff.
[caption id="attachment_2085" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="There was a professional photographer at the event, taking better photos than me, no doubt. Here\'s Bob Allen infront of the Exchange."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2094" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bob Allen chats with some of the eight Broadview employees (dealers, technicians, customer service reps) who were chosen to travel to NY for the event."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2090" align="aligncenter" width="1024" caption="[caption id="attachment_2092" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Shon Mellow, a technician from Sacramento, in the NYSE boardroom before the event, with a new Broadview Security Lawn Sign. Bob Allen said the new lawn signs will be used on all new installations. The old Brink\'s signs will be replaced upon request or when dealers go out for service and inspection calls."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2098" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Brink\'s employees infront of the exchange. Those chosen to attend the event included: Thomas Maye of Tampa, Fla. Kurt Strothenke of Milwaukee; Dennis Stricklin of Little Rock, Ark.; Karen Dunkley of Irving, Texas; Fredrick Watson of Irving, Texas; , Genice Perkins of Irving, Texas; Shon Mellow of Sacramento, Calif.; Deborah Stabosz of Chicago; Senglany Phetsadasack of Tampa. Also attending, but not on the podium were two general managers Tony Cervantes from Los Angeles and Kevin Oaks"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2099" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Broadview employees are excited to be in NYC."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2100" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Brink\'s employees, along with some people from Ketchum, the PR group, and Landor Associates, the branding company."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2101" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gary Samberson, left, Shawn Lucht, Bob Allen, Steve Yevich, Dwayne Sigler"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2102" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="getting ready for photographs"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2103" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Dennis Strickin, of Best Security, a Broadview dealer from Little Rock, left, and Shon Mellow, a technician from Sacramento in the NYSE boardroom before the bell ringing ceremony. That\'s the urn someone told me was from Czarist Russia. Hmm? Wonder who re-gifted it?"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2111" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Table in the boardroom. Ever see the old movie Citizen Cain? I half expected to see Orson Wells at the head."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2105" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Broadview employees in the boardroom holding new signs"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2106" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After the bell ringing ceremony, we went back into the boardroom to watch Bob Allen be interviewed from the trading floor by Fox News. Some reporter--can remember if it was the FOX report or not-- lamented that Allen wouldn\'t be able to get him a ride in a Brink\'s truck. Bob Allen told him he\'d be happy to get him a ride in a Broadview van."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2107" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="View of the entrance of the NY stock exchange on July 1"][/caption]
The folks from Ketchum, the PR group that worked for Brink's on the transition to Broadview, sent me some photos of the event.
Here they are:[caption id="attachment_2077" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Me, Steve Yevich CFO Broadview, Dennis Stricklin Broadview dealer (Best Security, Little Rock, Ark.), and Shon Mellow a Broadview technician from Sacramento, in the NYSE boardroom before the bell ringing event"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2073" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bob Allen, president and CEO of Broadview Security (center) surrounded by Broadview Security employees after ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2075" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Me, Steve Yevich, CFO Broadview Security, Shawn Lucht, Broadview SVP, strategy and corporate development, watching trading of Broadview stock on the floor of the NYSE after the bell ringing ceremony."][/caption]
And here is an analysis of Broadview by someone named raytoei, (no idea who this is, but I thought it was a good analysis)

I was on the subway early yesterday morning on my way to Wall Street to watch Bob Allen and eight employees ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange in celebration of the launch of Brink's Home Security's new name: Broadview Security.
I haven't been to the Exchange for a long time, but I knew I was in the right place when I saw, above the entrance, a huge banner that said Broadview Security.
Things have changed considerably since the last time I visited. That was years ago, back in the days before electronic trading. What I remember most was a lot of people yelling and people waving pieces of paper.
Last time, there wasn't heavy security to get in the place, and I most definitely didn't get to eat breakfast in the boardroom at the Exchange. It's quite a room, with a stained-glass skylight roof, a big ole vase, which someone told me was from Czarist Russia, and the biggest boardroom table I've ever seen. It's giant.
I had a chance to meet in person a few key people like Bob Allen, Gary Samberson (VP investor relations), Steve Yevich, (CFO), Shawn Lucht (SVP, strategy and corporate development).
While everyone knows what a valuable brand name Brink's has been, the executives were talking up the benefits of losing the word 'home' from their brand name. They've already expanded their commercial business quite a bit, and they expect to expand it more.Here's a story I wrote about that in April,
Bob Allen said commercial makes up about five percent of overall revenues, but accounts for about 10 percent of new installs.
Now Michael Dan (CEO of former parent company, The Brink's Company) has been talking about making acquisitions in the commercial space on earnings calls for as long as I can remember. Will Broadview, which is debt-free and flush with cash, finally follow through?
Don't hold your breath. As one insider said, laughing: "We've been acquisition-free since 1983!"
Both Shawn Lucht and Bob Allen told me that Michael Dan was right--they've been looking all along, they just never found the right fit. Shawn and Bob say they're still looking, but the fit's got to be perfect--the right company, technical capabilities, footprint and price.
On the resi side, look for Broadview to introduce interactive services--email and PDA alerts from home, the ability to remotely program your home alarm system--in the near future. They're testing and retesting systems, they say, but the introduction is imminent.
They're also looking at video surveillance for the home, but they're cautious because it's got to be easy for the installer and homeowner, reliable and, most important, not too expensive.
Notice a theme here? Easy does it for Broadview Security.
I also had a chance to talk to some of the eight employees who were on the podium with Bob Allen for the bell ringing. Dennis Stricklin of Best Security in Little Rock said he's excited about the name change. Dennis has been a Brink's dealer for 10 years, and like most, he was worried about losing the Brink's name initially.
He's changed his tune over the past several months though, and now he's fired up about the new brand. Dennis Strinklin is planning to expand his company's commercial services, and believes the new brand will help him do that. (Commercial accounts for about five percent of his business now, but he'd like to have it be about 25 percent in the future.)

IRVING, Texas--The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association swore in three new Executive Committee Members during the General Membership Meeting at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) on June 25.
"Officers, elected and appointed, are guardians of the reputation as well as the property of the association, and play vital roles in its preservation and progress. It is their obligation to act for and on behalf of the association and to maintian and adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct," said NBFAA Immediate Past President George Gunning, who swore in the new members.
The three newly elected officers are:
* Charles "Dom" D'Ascoli, Smoky Mountain Systems Inc., elected to one-year term as vice president/president elect
* David Koenig, Capital Fire & Security Inc., re-elected to two-year term as treasurer
* Ralph Sevinor, Wayne Alarm Systems, Inc., elected to two-year term as vice president.

More information on NBFAA and ESX co-founders CSAA can be found by clicking each clickable word.

So what do you think about the news, announced this morning, that Brink's Home Security is changing its name to Broadview Security? Here's my story
It's growing on me.
The first thing that struck me was that the word "home" was conspicuously missing in the new name. I asked Bob Allen (president and CEO of Brink's/Broadview) about that and he said it's no mistake. The new name is meant to reflect the wide range of services the company offers to both businesses and homes. He also said the name, and logo, are meant to convey the "active protection" provided by Brink's. The tagline on the new logo is "The next generation of Brink's Home Security."
Stay tuned for more on the Brink's Broadview transition. I'm on my way to NYC right now. I'll be on Wall Street at the New York Stock Exchange bright and early tomorrow morning to watch Bob Allen ring the opening bell in celebration of the birth of Broadview.
In the meantime, I'm eager to hear what you think of the new name.

Well, I'm back from my staycation, which is, of course, where you don't go to work, but you don't really go anywhere... What that meant for me was checking my work email, and the Security Systems News website, but not doing anything with or about them. I also did nothing about the guilty feeling I had every time I looked at my last blog post about the last minute CSAA @ ESXtweet service, which is obviously outdated now... and has been since Friday, June 19 at 5:00 p.m.
Oh well, time to post.
I got an email from Mike Miller over at NBFAA on the 19th. The email is a plea for support from those of us in the industry on behalf of SIAC. From the email:

SIAC works for you whether you're a member of NBFAA or not. We know that good policies for the security industry are essential to ensure our industry progresses. We all need their help and, in return, they need our help.
SIAC is a nonprofit that operates solely off of donations from y ou, the security industry. Their work has saved the industry millions of dollars by ensuring that workable policies are put in place. We need to ensure they can continue to support our causes. You can help by making a contribution.

Donations to SIAC can be made at their website or can be snailmailed to:
SIAC
13541 Stanmere Drive
Frisco, Texas 75035
SIAC has put together some info, found here, that explains how they help the industry. More info on SIAC can be obtained from SIAC executive director Stan Martin

I'll be taking a vacation next week (enjoying some rain and clouds by the lakeside even farther north of here), so don't expect any new posts until after the Fourth.
However, since many of you just got on the blog bandwagon recently, let me introduce you to some of my better posts - and by better, I mean most ranting and overly critical, but also pretty funny, I think. Oh, and informative and interesting, too.
Here's one on camera sales and whether they are or aren't really skyrocketing.
Here's me being a grammar/syntax geek and going off on the compliment/complement wrongness that infests our industry.
Remember the pain beam?
Here's the coverage of my trip to Israel to visit security installations.
I'll never get enough of the guy who volunteers to be tasered at ISC West. Never.
My all time favorite press release.
And, finally, Gosh, I almost forgot about the guy who got his lawnmower stolen. Seriously, this one's a classic.
So, read one of those each day, get caught up on the blog in general, and pretend like I've been blogging all week since it's all new to you. See you on the other side of the Fourth.